thread: 2006-03-06 : Unpopular Idea #2: Punish the Loser
On 2006-03-06, Roger wrote:
For example... hmmm. There's a few games which reward the winner in the short term—TSoY, Sorcerer. But I can't think of many.
It seems like in most games, the character is at optimal strength when he first rolls out of bed. If he enters a conflict, the most he can hope for is to break even. He never gets better able to deal with the next conflict (except with long-term gains like level increase.) In anything short of a complete victory, he's worse off.
Maybe it's a pacing thing, like hp.
But speaking to the point "punishing the losers is equivalent to rewarding the winners", I think there can be a significant mechanical difference.
It becomes evident when you consider characters who don't do anything. If the people who try and fail get punished, then the people who don't try are, in some sense, rewarded. But if the people who try and succeed get rewarded, then the people who don't try are punished.
Maybe it's the games I've been in, or maybe the players I've gamed with, but in many cases, maybe even the majority, the transcripts could be exhibits in the textbook definition of "social loafing." Punishments are specific, but rewards are shared, so coast along with the group.
This makes JBR go "Also, the Gauntlet"
The PCs have to wade through a hundred wimpy badguys to get to the McGuffin guarded by the Big Bad. If the winners are uniformly rewarded, the PCs will get to the Big Bad as they started or slightly benefitted. If the system penalizes the losers, the PCs will arrive at the Big Bad wounded and weakened. You've got to remember that NPCs are disposable in ways that PCs are not.
This makes NinJ go "Good point, Josh..."
... but I've lost all patience for games where the GM doesn't have resources to consider. A hundred mooks should cost something reasonable, and losing them should be a concern for the GM. That way, sie can really dive in and do hir worst, giving a good challenge, rather than determining how hard to pull the punches.
